Christmas is a special time of year.

Christmas is a special time of year, allowing us to celebrate family and friends and the feeling of togetherness the season brings.  Christmas is also a perfect time to give back to others.  Over the month of December the dedicated volunteers at Friends of Zanmi Beni as well as our dear friends and supporters at Peace, Love, World did just that!  Both groups worked to collect presents for the staff and 64 children of Zanmi Beni.  The list included essentials such as flashlights and batteries to special gifts like jewelry, dolls, and clothes. Advisory Board members Angie Cilkin and Carolyn Harris spearheaded the project on the Zanmi Beni side and during the annual Christmas party for volunteers and donors everyone came with a present for a child.  On the weekend of December 19th Board Member Laurie Nuell and Executive Director Katie Blais traveled to Haiti alongside CEO of Peace Love World Alina Villasante, her daugther and Social Media Manager Mia and cousin and longtime donor Angie Martinez. Over the weekend the group was given a special lunch cooked in the newly renovated Pwason Beni restaurant on the Zanmi Beni campus and a special Christmas pageant put on by the children. It was a magical weekend which included a lot of time to play with the children and explore the grounds of Zanmi Beni.   This toy drive and trip will hopefully become a Christmas tradition!

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